Boning



Nov. 14, 1967 w. L. CHALFIN ET AL 3,351,954

' BONING Filed June 18, 1965 FlG.2

FIG.4

INVENTORS fi Wil liam L.Chalfin Edward Chrlsfopher Garvey j vvvvvv AT TO RNEY United States Patent 3,351,954 BONING William L. Chalfin, 1435 E. 101st St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11209, and Edward Christopher Garvey, Massapequa, N.Y.; said Garvey assignor to said Chalfin Filed June 18, 1965, Ser. No. 464,953 3 Claims. (Cl. 2--255) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Boning of a strip of fiat non-elastic moderately stiff material having slits extending inward from one or both edges to form movable fingers, sections of said material being uncut and other sections being completely out out 'to effect the desired control and, optionally, slits extending inwardly from the edges of said fingers.

The present invention relates to boning and more particularly to boning which permits lateral and torsional movement while maintaining vertical stability.

There are many instances in the construction of garments where a boning is needed which will provide firm vertical support yet which will have suflicient flexibility to conform to the body as it stretches and changes during motion. This is particularly true of the boning in the waistband of girdles and slacks and also in the cup support of brassieres. In an effort to accomplish this, manufacturers have secured individual pieces of boning where desired. However, applying individual pieces one at a time is a time-consuming and expensive matter.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a boning which will meet the foregoing requirements.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a boning which will be a unitary piece of material cut to give different types of control as needed in the same garment.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a boning which will be inexpensive to manufacture and simple to apply to a garment.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the honing of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the boning of FIG. 1 when fanned out to show flexibility;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the waistband of a girdle, partially broken away, showing the application of the boning therein; and

FIG. 4 is a front view of a brassiere, partially broken away, showing the application of a second embodiment of the boning as applied therein.

In essence, the present invention provides a boning made of an elongated strip of a non-elastic, moderately stiff material. The strip has two longitudinal edges and a plurality of transverse slits which are cut from one longitudinal edge to a point spaced from the second longitudinal edge. These slits define a plurality of fingers which are attached to a base portion along the second longitudinal edge. The fingers are free to fan out from the base portion thus permitting lateral and torsional movement while maintaining vertical stability. To increase the flexibility of the fingers they may be formed with slits at one or both side edges, in either opposed or staggered relationship to each other. The term vertical is merely illustrative since the strip may be disposed at any angle. The boning may be designed to have, within a single strip, areas which are uncut, offering firmer control, other areas in which fingers have been cut, and still others which are cut out substantially completely for absence of control, according to the function required of the boning at each specific location.

Referring now to the drawing, the boning comprises an elongated, generally rectangular strip of non-elastic, moderately stiff material 10. The strip 10 has two longitudinal edges 12 and 14. A first plurality of transverse slits 16 are cut in the strip 10 from one longitudinal edge 12 to apertures 18 at a point spaced from the second longitudinal edge 14. This construction forms a plurality of primary fingers 20 attached to a base portion 22 along the second longitudinal edge 14. i

A plurality of shorter, secondary fingers 24 are similarly formed. Transverse slits 26 are cut in the strip 10 from the second longitudinal edge 14 to apertures 28 at a point less than one-half the width of the strip 10. The transverse slits 26 are positioned approximately midway between the first plurality of transverse slits 16. Of course, the fingers need not be long and short; they may be of the same size.

The boning thus constructed is free to fan out at both sets of fingers 20 and 24, as shown in FIG. 2, while remaining a unitary piece. The apertures 18 facilitate the fanning by the absence of material tending to constrict the strip and also act to prevent the strip from tearing further along the transverse slits. Obviously, the primary fingers 20 will have a larger spread than the secondary fingers 24. Where desired a solid portion 29 may be left in the strip where flexibility is not needed and control is desired. Conversely, where no control is needed, the strip may be substantially completely out out, as at 29.

Attached to a garment the fingers will fan out when the body is extended in action and will return to their original closed position when the body returns to its normal stance. The number of fingers privided, their length 7 and their width, are all variable factors and may be decided upon depending upon the ultimate use to which the boning will be put. For example, in the waistband of a girdle, such as that illustrated in FIG. 3, the strip is placed so that the primary fingers 30 can fan out at the top edge 32 of the garment. A solid portion 34 of the strip is left uncut where there is no need for lateral flexibility and where extra vertical support is required to prevent rollover of the waistband. The fingers may have staggered slits 36 cut in from their side edges to increase their flexibility.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4 as applied to a breast cup of a brassiere. In this case, the strip 40 is formed with a single plurality of primary fingers 42 which have been cut from the strip by a plurality of transverse slits extending from one longitudinal edge 44 to apertures 46 at a point spaced from the second longitudinal edge 48. The fingers 42 remain attached to a base portion 50 along the second longitudinal edge 48. The strip is placed with the second longitudinal edge 48 at the bottom of the breast cup with the fingers 42 free to mold themselves around the cup. During normal breathing the fingers will expand and contract as needed.

The boning can be secured to a garment by stitching directly through it either vertically through the center of the fingers or along their edges, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Alternatively the boning can be inserted in a previously prepared casing 56 which has pockets 58 arranged to receive the fingers 42. This method is shown in the brassiere in FIG. 4. After such insertion, a row of stitching 60 may be added along the base portion 50 to keep the boning from falling out. The casing should be extensible to permit movement of the fingers. It may be a stretchable material or a non-stretch material cut on the bias.

The boning strip is made of a semi-rigid material which will not be harmed by launderings. Suitable materials are plastic films or sheeting such as polyethylene terephthalate films. The fact that it can be stitched directly to a garment or to a casing is another important factor.

It may be seen, then, that the present invention provides a boning formed of a continuous strip of material which is useful for extensive insertions in many types of garments. The boning may be cut to form fingers where it is desirable to allow lateral and torsional movement of the body. The boning strip, therefore, incorporates versatility in a unitary construction. An important result is the ease with which the entire strip may be secured to a garment in contrast to the application of individual boning members.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A boning comprising an elongated strip of non-elastic moderately stiff material having two longitudinal edges, said strip having a first area with a plurality of transverse slits cut therein from one longitudinal edge to a point spaced from the second longitudinal edge thereby to form a plurality of fingers attached to a base portion along the said second edge, said fingers permitting lateral and torsional movement of the boning while maintaining vertical stability, said strip having a second area being uncut to give firmer control in that area and a third area substantially completely cut out for absence of control in that area.

2. A boning as in claim 1 having a second plurality of transverse slits cut from the second longitudinal edge to a point spaced from the first longitudinal edge thereby to form a plurality of secondary fingers, said fingers being free to fan out to permit lateral and torsional movement while maintaining vertical stability.

3. A boning as in claim 1 in which the elongated strip is made of polyethylene terephthalate film for stitching therethrough for direct application to a garment.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,121,331 12/1914 Dean 2-259 1,142,045 6/1915 McLeod 2 259 1,893,960 1/1933 Pea'se 12s 570 2,915,067 12/1959 Bracht 128-469 2,964,756 12/1960 Liebowitz 2 132 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,036,233 4/1953 France.

242,583 10/1946 Switzerland.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

A. GUEST, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BONING COMPRISING AN ELONGATED STRIP OF NON-ELASTIC MODERATELY STIFF MATERIAL HAVING TWO LONGITUDINAL EDGES, SAID STRIP HAVING A FIRST AREA WITH A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSE SLITS CUT THEREIN FROM ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE TO A POINT SPACED FROM THE SECOND LONGITUDINAL EDGE THEREBY TO FORM A PLURALITY OF FINGERS ATTACHED TO A BASE PORTION ALONG THE SAID SECOND EDGE, SAID FINGERS PERMITTING LATERAL AND TORSIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE BONING WHILE MAINTAINING VERTICAL STABILITY, SAID STRIP HAVING A SECOND AREA BEING UNCUT TO GIVE FIRMER CONTROL IN THAT AREA AND A THIRD AREA SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY CUT OUT FOR ABSENCE OF CONTROL IN THAT AREA. 